Britannic: An American Girl Story
by Puterboy1
Summary: Sequel to Lusitania: An American Girl Story. Samantha and Rebecca are nurses about the Britannic's last voyage.
1. Prologue

Samantha Parkington's journey on the last voyage of the _Lusitania_ was very eventful indeed. With the help of her new friend Rebecca Rubin, Samantha, her grandmother Mary Edwards and her step-grandfather Admiral Archibald Beemis survived one of the greatest maritime disasters since the sinking of the _Titanic_.

But now, a whole year had passed and Samantha and Rebecca were safely in England, training to be nurses while Grandmary and Admiral Beemis were providing money, clothing and food for those who were shipwrecked, widowed or orphaned by the Great War.

With so many causalities on both sides in 1916, most of the major shipping companies had to use hospital ships to save the wounded. Many ocean liners had to be converted into hospital ships due to their size, among them, the White Star Line's latest wonder ship, _Britannic_.

_Britannic_ had an 882-foot hull, with thousands of plates held together by 3 million rivets and a 92-foot beam. She was driven by two colossal reciprocating engines and a single turbine, which could take her up to 22 knots. Her displacement weight was 53,200 tons. At 175 feet, she spanned 9 decks with watertight bulkheads that went five decks higher than her sisters _Titanic_ and _Olympic_. She may have been originally named _Gigantic_ before _Titanic's_ sinking rechristened her with something suitably patriotic and honorable. White Star was now sensitive to bad publicity and increasing nationalism and Britannic was also the name of an earlier liner which sailed the seas from 1874 to 1903, a proud run in the company's history.

After a year of training and five months of experience despite the younger's age and non-British nationalities, Samantha and Rebecca would have never suspected that they would be serving aboard _Britannic _when she would be leaving Southampton, England for her sixth voyage on November 12, 1916.


	2. Departure

November 12, 1916

It was about 2:00 PM in Southampton, England and Samantha had already bid her grandparents goodbye. Now she was on a train with Rebecca, waiting for the docks to come into her vision. There were very few children aboard the train and the girl and the woman were confined to their compartment, unable to move anywhere but where they were. They were dressed in their afternoon clothes, with their uniforms packed in suitcases lying beside them. Samantha's uniform was given to her by the Red cross while Rebecca's was a makeshift that she bought from a clothing store, which she Samantha worked on together.

Samantha was reading _Rinkitink in Oz_ by L. Frank Baum which Aunt Cornelia had given to her on her last birthday while Rebecca read the _Daily Telegraph_. She looked over page 60 to see Rebecca still immersed in the funnies when she said.

"You know, it would have been nice if Agnes and Agatha came with us. We could defiantly use a bigger party."

"I said the same thing about my brothers and sisters," said Rebecca. "but my family would object to me going."

"How are they handling things with you being home?"

"Pretty well. In Mother's last letter, she told me that Father managed to evade the draft board. I don't know if my brothers or cousins have been drafted, they're too young to fight….or so I think."

At the precise moment, the train slowly approached the ginormous berth, where His Majesty's Hospital Ship _Britannic_ stood proud and patriotic beside the cranes and crowds of nurses and doctors waiting to board. Her master for this voyage, her sixth voyage, was Captain Charles Bartlett, nicknamed "Iceberg Charlie" for his ability to smell icebergs from a distance. Some would even think that _he_ should have been _Titanic's_ captain instead of Edward Smith. But all the same, he was well-loved by his crew and he had an almost-perfect safety record. He had been in charge of _Britannic_ for the past year since his son Ellis died in the Gallipoli Campaign on May 13th and was also appointed the title of Captain Royal Navy Reserve. He would be overseeing 477 employees of the White Star Line and 302 members of it's victualling department. They would be aided by 73 nurses, 16 boy scouts, 5 captains, 4 lieutenants, 2 chaplains and one major with a couple of privates and sergeants from the lower ranks of the Royal Army Medical Corps.

When Samantha and Rebecca saw the ship, they had to admit that they were amazed by her size, which exceeded _Lusitania's_. After getting off the train, they found a stall to change into their uniforms. This was so that they could prove to their new superiors aboard that were perfectly professional. They joined the line of nurses, went through a quick health inspection and walked slowly up the gangplank to D-Deck, where their names were written down by the ship's purser Claude Lancaster. He first assumed Samantha to be a much older women, but when he saw Rebecca, he gave her a once over and asked.

"Aren't you a little young to be a nurse?"

"I could say the same thing about the Czar's daughters, but even they have to do their part, as I should do mine. Since I am also an actress, I think the wounded could use at least some form of entertainment."

"You're not wrong about that," said Purser Lancaster.

And without any other word, Samantha and Rebecca entered the belly of the ship.

On the bridge, Captain Barlett and the ship's Assistant Commander Harry William Dyke were surveying the newcomers.

"Not bad," the captain said. "At least they're experienced."

"Some of them might have had their share of experience at the Royal London Hospital," replied the assistant commander. "But I'll only be able to confirm this if I spoke with some of the ladies."

"You'll have plenty of time aboard this voyage. Or would you rather serve as captain of a battleship? I know I would be one if this war started ten years ago."

"Well, _Britannic_ and _Olympic _each are the largest ships in the world, sir. I am honored to serve aboard her."

"Indeed."

He paused for a moment.

"Mr. Dyke, why not you go down and introduce yourself to the nurses? We will be leaving in twenty minutes."

"Right, sir."

As the nurses pushed their way, taking in the ship's plain looking interiors, Samantha said to Rebecca.

"Should we ask someone where our cabin is?"

"I think we should, I just hope it isn't someplace too far."

Rebecca saw the closest nurse in front of her and tapped her back. She turned clockwise, Rebecca expecting her to say "yes?' when she flopped sideways to the floor.

"Miss nurse?"

Samantha came over.

"I think she's fainted."

"Probably just seasickness," said a nurse nearby. "This is Violet Jessop. I'm Shiela MacBeth."

Nurse MacBeth shook hands with the lady and the girl who introduced themselves.

"I'm Nurse Parkington."

"And I'm Nurse Rubin."

"A girl that age ought to be helping the boy scouts," said Nurse MacBeth.

"Are there boys around my age here?" asked Rebecca in wonder.

"Plenty," the nurse nodded. "They should be around there."

She pointed the group of 6 uniformed boys congregating by the hallway. Rebecca went over to them while D. W. Stevens Muir, the ship's surgeon, went to revive Miss Jessop with the help of medical officer Harold Goodman.

"Excuse me, hello?"

George Perman, 15 and a half years old and a member of the 2nd Southampton Scout Group turned to Rebecca.

"Well, hello, hello, hello."

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"We were just talking about how we plan to help the nurses out aboard ship, but you look as though you'll be helping _us_."

"If I was apart of the Girls Scouts Association, I would be saying 'yes', but I'm an apprentice nurse to Nurse Parkington."

"Would you like to look around the ship with us?" asked Victor Mackenzie.

"Maybe later when you're all settled in," said the Scouts leader O. B. Coe.

Some of the scouts moaned at this and so they parted. As George turned back to take one last look at Rebecca, the sound of the ship's whistle blew. The time was 2:23 PM.

"Looks like we're underway," was the last thing George Perman said to Rebecca before he ran off to join his peers.

Samantha and Rebecca found their quarters in a small cabin forward aft of D-Deck on the starboard side, which was big enough to fit two beds. It was the first cabin that stood to the left at the mouth of entrance between the corridor and the dining room. The room was completely painted in white and it had two lanterns on a brown dresser.

"We might as well make the best of it," Samantha said to Rebecca. "Let's unpack."

Meanwhile, down below, the stokers fed the first lumps of coal to the boilers, the engineers had been given the orders to go ahead and the electrician were hard at work to ensure that the generators were functioning…_Britannic_ was on her way.

In the dining room, everyone had gathered before the ship's crew. Captain Bartlett gave the announcements.

"Welcome to His Majesty's Hospital Ship _Britannic_. I am Captain Charles Alfred Bartlett. We are engaged upon a noble mission to provide aid and comfort to our fellow men, who have offered up their lives in the defense of our country. In seven days' time, we should arrive at the Greek Island of Mudros. We will return to Liverpool with some 3000 wounded soldiers. In these trying times, you young ladies have volunteered to help them in the road to recovery and victory. For this, myself, the officers and the entire crew of this vessel salute you."

Samantha and Rebecca, standing beside their fellow nurses led by Matron Elizabeth Ann Dowse, knew that they would be in for quite an adventure…if not a particularly gory one.


	3. Voyage

November 17th, 1916

For the first five days, Rebecca and Samantha got along well with the ships' crew, including Dr. J. C. H. Beaumont, who had once served as a surgeon aboard the old _Majestic_. The weather seemed to be favorable for both girls as _Britannic_ made steady progress across the sea. They had already passed Gibraltar on November 15th and now they were closer than ever to Mudros. During that time, they practiced medical procedures, rehearsed the treatment and care of a sick patient (with Sam and Becca taking turns as one) and looked over checklists and medications from the doctor's quarters to prepare for taking care of the wounded.

Rebecca got along well with George, but the other boy scouts were not used to having a girl of their age sharing the same hospitable traits as they did. As much as they wanted to tease her for being a girl, patrol leader Edward Ireland of the 22nd Liverpool reminded them that as English men, they were to keep a civil tongue in front of a young lady. Whenever Rebecca wanted to use the lift, George would be the one operating for her and whenever Rebecca wanted a message, George would be the one to deliver it to her.

Chaplain John Fleming told the girls about biblical stories of war and how pointless it was in the eyes of the Almighty, but he soon went on to more heroic tales, like Moses from the Book of Exodus. Private Percy Tyler scoffed at Samantha's own stories of Aunt Cornelia and her suffrage club, as it reminded him too much of the suffrage movements that were happening back home in England.

Samantha also found a kindred spirit in Violet Jessop. On the first day out at sea, she actually got a chance to talk to her over lunch.

"Forgive me for being personal, Miss Jessop, but are you feeling ill?"

"I'm quite fine," said Miss Jessop. "It's more of a bad memory. I was on the _Titanic_ when she went down. I was given a baby to look after and I never saw it again after we boarded the _Carpathia_. Some woman came up and took it away from me without even saying 'thank you'. I think it must have been his or her mother."

"I was also on the _Lusitania_ when she went down as well."

"Were you alone?"

"I was with Grandmary, Admiral Beemis and Rebecca, they survived as well."

John Priest and Archie Jewell, who also survived the _Titanic_ disaster were onboard. But given their different stations, they barely had a chance to talk to each other.

In addition to the training they had received back in England, Samantha and Rebecca were familiar with different forms of medicine and how too much of a good cure could prove fatal to the patient, which is one reason why such medicines are to be taken at a specific time. Even so, some of the other nurses not willing to risk the event of another Florence Nightingale, so they instructed the two to make sure that they had a professional relationship with their patients.

It was later in the day when the rain came down upon the ship, followed by the usual grey overcast skies and thunder and lightning. Captain Bartlett thought it best to take on anchor at the nearby town of Naples. They were also low on coal and this gave the nurses and half of the other crew members and opportunity to sightsee and maybe even do some early Christmas shopping, which was only a month away.

"Think of it!" said Samantha to Rebecca. "Going Christmas shopping in Naples! Isn't it wonderful?"

"I guess it is. Can we bring George along too?"

"We might have to speak with Mr. Coe about it."

They went to see George at the boy scout's quarters. He seemed interested and asked the other boy scouts, but they very much preferred to stay.

When they left the ship, Nurse Macbeth and the other nurses had already rented two cars and an Italian guide to take them around the village. But the tires were as strong as swiss cheese (full of holes in case you didn't get the reference) and the cars kept breaking down. George was able to help the guide, along with Rebecca and Samantha, to change the tires and fix the motors of both cars before they had a chance to break down again. Even with these misfortunate occurrences, this did not put a damper on the nurses who were in high spirits and in good humor. They had spaghetti for lunch at a little country inn, where they watched the natives shoveling in spaghetti by the yard.

"So that's where they make it," Rebecca wondered to Samantha out loud.

Returning to Maples, the two girls went Christmas shopping, and while some of the stores were dressed in red and green decorations, coupled with houses waiting for La Befana to arrive. From door to door, Samantha and Rebecca looked through the establishments of cooking utensils, toys and ornamental figures, even puppet shops and stalls at flea markets selling Turkish delight and other Italian sweets. Some of these sweets were even imported from Constantinople.

Rebecca looked long and hard for a babushka doll to accompany her own while Samantha looked for things that she hoped Grandmary and Uncle Gard would like, even things for Jesse and Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins. She couldn't find any Irish things for Nellie and her sisters, but she supposed a new dress or a shawl would seem right for them. She picked out a green one from a tailor's shop. It was as green as the green hills of Irish earth and as green as the flag that flew proudly throughout the isle. Emerald green was what the Irish loved, and maybe Nellie and her sisters would have loved it as well.

The next day, Samantha then used some of her money in an attempt to provide charity to a small widow's organization. The women were willing to accept her money even though it was not of her currency. They would take the money to a nearby bank where it would be converted into Italian lira. Rebecca and George, meanwhile, were walking along the shore. The beach was all white and sandy with a couple of rowboats either dragged ashore or tied up to a pier.

"How do you think your family is faring without you?" asked George.

"I hope they've understood by now that I am safe and well."

"Wish I could say the same about my family. Some of them love me for who I am, while some them just ostracize me for being the shortest. I come from a tall family; you know."

"How tall are they compared to you?"

"Pretty tall."

"If so, you must look at them like Jack does to the giant."

George laughed.

"You're exaggerating."

"I am."

And they continued walking together, talking together, and as if Rebecca did not know any better, he was falling for her, and she with him.

At last, the morning of the 19th came; the refueling was completed and _Britannic_ was ready to set sail once more. Samantha later admitted to Rebecca that she was sad to be leaving Naples, as she would have spent more of her time understanding it's culture and beauty. Rebecca's feelings were mutual.

As she gussied over her date with George yesterday, the stokers down in the boiler room were doing whatever they could to keep the ship's speed at a steady pace when one of them felt ill.

"Should I get the doctor?" one of his mates asked.

"No, no, I'm just tired," he refused politely.

But his mate still went anyway.

It was Samantha who nursed him back to health in the end. She was giving him a small sedative in Doctor Beaumont's office when she made her diagnosis.

"Simple case of fatigue and stress from overwork. You need some rest."

"Sure thing, miss," said the stoker. "And thanks for the advice. I guess I was up too early this morning…then again, maybe it's the fumes."

"Well, whatever the condition, I'll always be there to help."

"You're an angel, miss," the stoker smiled.

Although his face looked a hundred percent natural, Samantha smiled back left to join Rebecca and other nurses for dinner.

In the dining saloon, Rebecca, Samantha, Violet and George were discussing everything that they saw on land.

"It'll be wonderful for this war to end and we're home," Violet said. "No more wounds, no moans from the men…and no more having to run about hither and thither for a small bottle sedatives."

The others laughed.

"Maybe when the war is over, we can go back to Naples and see some more!" Nurse Macbeth added.

"Well, I for one would want to go back for a more educational reason," said Samantha. "To learn Italian. My Aunt Cordelia would want me to get a higher education."

"I've heard of her," said Nurse Macbeth. "She's a modern woman, is she?"

"Yes, and proud of it," Samantha smiled.

"Modern as in voting and smoking?" asked Violet.

"Well, she's part of the suffragette movement. If she gets the right to vote, she should ban smoking altogether."

"Sensible lady," smiled Nurse Macbeth before resuming her stew.

The next day, Monday, Nurse Macbeth and Samantha, along with the other nurses, were busy from breakfast time to their afternoon swim in the pool on F-Deck, and later that night, the ship's company had gathered in the dining saloon for service. Percy Tyler called it "the best since the boat had been in commission." He and rest of his peers sang to the familiar hymn of "There Is a Green Hill."

When service was over, Rebecca went to see George in his cabin. She knocked on the door three times.

"Come in," came the boy's voice.

When Rebecca walked in, George noticed that she looked very solemn.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"Not really," sighed Rebecca. "I suppose everyone just wants this voyage to be over…and the war as well...I might be sounding a little irrational, but what if we run into a German ship?"

George placed his arms around Rebecca, pulling her into a hug.

"As long as you're with me, you'll be all right."

Rebecca looked into George's eyes. She could see the feeling he had for her reciprocating with her own.

"Do you love me?"

"I…"

He paused. The question seemed so sudden and abrupt.

"Guess I do."

"Then have you ever kissed a girl before?"

"Only my mum on certain occasions."

Her face was inching closer to his.

"Then make it official. Just one kiss."

Her face continued on. Then all of a sudden, his lips began to lock onto hers as well. Before they even knew it, they had officially sealed their love in the darkness of a cabin at midships on a cold November night, across the sea, under the Northern Lights.


End file.
